BasedOnBooks: Death Comes to Pemberley

One thing that I love doing is to watch period dramas. Preferably those that are based on Jane Austen novels and one that stands out for me is "Death Comes to Pemberley" by P.D. James.

The drama begins six years after the events in Pride and Prejudice which we all know resulted in the marriage of Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennet.  The couple are preparing a bal and are in wait for all the guests to arrive when all of a sudden a very unexpected guest arrives screaming "Murder! Murder! MURDER!" Thus the mystery begins...

The ensemble cast is lovely and the acting is superb. My favourite couple, aside from Darcy and Elizabeth, is Georgina and Henry. Some have complained that Elizabeth wasn't portrayed as they has imagined her, but to her defence a decade has almost passed, who wouldn't look a little worn out?

Based On Books: The Shannara Chronicles

The Shannara Chronicles is an American fantasy drama television series. It is an adaptation of The Sword of Shannara Trilogy books by Terry Brooks.

The first four episodes out of ten have already been aired. I've only seen the first two episodes and I can say that it looks really promising, the story is the perfect fantasy adventure and Manu Bennett as the druid Allanon is spot on. 

Some have claimed that The Shannara Chronicles is the young adult version of Game of Thrones. I don't think it needs that comparison since it has a story that can stand firmly on its own without latching on to the success of another show.

Based On Books: The Man In The High Castle

Netflix needs to worry because Amazon is on the rise when it comes to developing TV series. It is to soon to give any real verdict but they have hit a home-run with The Man In The High Castle. The casting is excellent, the cinematography is beautiful (even if the special effects could use a little more tweaking) and the story is intriguing. 

So what is it about? Well imagine how the world would look like if the Axis had won the World War instead of the Allies and then you'll have a good idea about the show's premise. It is based on Philip Dick's novel and illustrates a dystopian world where the United States is under the control of the Nazis and the Japanese.

The new map of the United States after the Axis had won WWII.

The main characters are Juliana Crain, Frank Frink, Joe Blake, John Smith and Nobusuke Tagomi. Juliana gets entangled with a resistance group that her sister was a member of up until her murder. Juliana is tasked with delivering a film that her sister was ordered to bring to the Rocky Mountain States ( a neutral zone between the Japanese and the Nazis) and that is where she crosses paths with Joe Blake. Joe really isn't who he claims to be...he is a double agent working for the Nazis...but I'm secretly hoping that Juliana will be able to turn him over to the good side.